UH Parma Wins Award For Reducing Its Environmental Footprint:

by CJ Sheppard

UH Parma Medical Center has been recognized nationally for its successful program to reduce its environmental impact. Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care, awarded the hospital with a Partner for Change award. UH Parma was among four UH hospitals recognized, with awards also going to UH Cleveland, UH Geauga and UH St. John medical centers.

The Partner for Change Award recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce and recycle waste, source products sustainably and more. Winning facilities must demonstrate that they are recycling at least 15 percent of their total waste, have reduced regulated medical waste, are on track to eliminate mercury, and have developed successful sustainability programs in many areas.

Across the UH system of 18 hospitals, UH is recycling 36 percent of its waste. Expensive regulated medical waste – including biohazard waste, trace chemotherapy waste, and sharps bins – should be no more than 10 percent of the waste stream, and UH is at 5.7 percent. Earth Day/Week celebrations at various UH campuses centered around educating staff on disposing of recyclable materials and waste in the proper bins.